Aquilegia 'Winky Rose'

Bounteous, upward facing, rosy pink flowers through spring and summer on slender, upright stems.

The Aquilegia 'Winky Series' boasts uniform growth and plenty of flowers. They have won the prestigious Fleuroselect* seal of approval for their vigorous, bushy growth and excellent mildew resistance.

Where the Aquilegias of old were shy, their heads coyly hanging, the 'Winky Series' have been selectively bred to face skyward ? as if to cheekily wink at you! The tall, narrow stems float the outgoing blooms high above the foliage.

The soft, mid green, fern like leaves make a beautiful foil for other plants and develops in early spring, just in time to fill in for the fading spring flowers.

The flowers will last longer when planted in light shade but they will tolerate full sun with a bit more moisture. Aquilegia should be planted in moist, well drained humus rich soil. They look fantastic in massed plantings or large containers (they tend to be more compact in containers).

After the initial flowering has finished, you can cut the stems back to the basal foliage to encourage even more. If you would like to increase your stock, it is a good idea to leave the last flowers of the season to form seed heads for future generations of plants. While the seedlings are unlikely to flower true to type as they hybridise easily, they are all beautiful.

*Fleuroselect is the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry. Its main activities include the testing, protecting and promoting of new flower varieties.